Day 18 - Summit Day

For some reason I just can't get to sleep as I don't feel at all tired (I think I only slept from about 3am to 5am) but I don't feel groggy at all in the am - perhaps it is the fresh mountain air combined with the adrenalin.
Compared to many other big mountains, summit day on Denali is not that bad and so the plan is a leisurely start with a good breakfast of cereal, oatmeal and bagels to really set us up for the day. Unfortunately, and on the most important day, there is only enough hot water for a hot drink, no milk powder for the cereal and no bagels either. So it is basically cereal and cold water for breakfast!

The rest of the day is part excellent and part pretty poor. The weather is pretty good so we get fantastic views all day long. On the other hand, the two groups move together so we travel at the same miserable pace all day. Walking so slowly for so long is not only playing havoc with my energy levels but it is also giving me a really sore back. I end up stretching and going for additional walks in the breaks to try and cope with this (writing my notes in bed it either has not worked or I would be in a world of pain without it).

We start out in the shadow of the mountain which is pretty chilly until we start the hard work of climbing the first slope:

Heading up from camp in the shadow

Some bad weather on its way

Really not too bad for the worse weather of the day

 

Our guide then has a complete fit. He has given unclear instructions to the assistant guide and then blows a fuse when he finds out that things have gone wrong. This develops into a wider rant about how if there are any more cock ups he will turn us all back to High Camp and then continues to have a go at me for not taking off my pack immediately when we have a rest! I have never seen or heard of anything so unprofessional and it is only fear of him actually carrying out his threat in his unstable frame of mind that prevent a few of us from doing anything about this - there is a bit of worry about his suitability to lead us in this state but the conditions are pretty good and the path is clear so I am not too bothered. From there we have a fairly long and tedious walk along the flat before we approach Pig Hill and then the fun of Summit Ridge:

Pig Hill with Summit Ridge on top

 

Starting along Summit Ridge

 

Last stretch to the Summit

View back down last stretch

 

View back down Summit Ridge

We all get there without any real eventualities and luckily the weather holds for us allowing plenty of time for photos and to enjoy the view.

Pretty cool place to be!

 

The Denali Summit marker

A long way back down!

Time to head back and let the next group onto the summit

The descent is uneventful as well and we return after 11 hours compared to the expected range of 8 to 16 hours for the day. Whilst it has at times been frustrating for a variety of reasons the day has been superb and the feeling of exhilaration when you get to the summit is just so hard to match. What a day!

A small apology here to those wanting to follow in such footsteps - I am not quite sure what we did but it appears that Denali will never be the same again - Denali shrinks by 83 feet!

Bit of a chat about the next day and then supper and bed. After the long stay at ABC we are all pretty keen to get back to civilisation as soon as possible - the best option is basically to walk all day and night to get to the runway in the early am, have a couple of hours sleep and get the first plane off the glacier. Sounds good but we will need to see how people go - that is quite a long day after summiting!

Food:
Cereal and cold water
Freeze dried food